As this thread somehow tunes in with today's word, I wonder, would vegans eat honey or strictly shun anything prepared with honey?
I can't see what problem they would have with honey. Honeybees are free to roam, the honey is extra that they can survive without, it is made from nectar, not any animal product, and no animals are killed or harmed in its production or harvesting. But I am not a vegan, so maybe we will hear from someone who is and can explain why honey is objectionable, if it is at all. :0)
Do Vegans worry about the fact that every time they eat vegetables they are ingesting several insects? I can understand people not wanting to eat pork or chicken or other reasonably intelligent animals because of cruelty in farming practices, but I think talk about insect rights is stretching it a bit.
The question of where their authority comes from for deciding any of this is interesting. Unless they are Theists or are leaving it up to individual conscience ("I just feel this is the right thing for me."), there is no way I can see to get from the "is" to the "ought" if you know what I mean. The "is" being that certain animals produce food for themselves and their offspring. The "ought" being that human beings should not eat those things. Is it also argued that other animals should also not eat things made by those not of their species? (or for that matter, what about predation?). And if not, if it's okay for animals on the grounds that it is "natural", how can you argue that human beings eating these things is not also natural, unless you want to argue that human beings are not animals. Most Theists have no problem from their basis arguing that, but most animal rights people seem to tell us that we are just animals. You can't have it both ways. Either we are and therefore it's natural for us to eat animal products just like other animals do, or we're not animals, we're special in some way. Are they smuggling in assumptions that more properly belong to a Theistic world view?
Where does the Authority come from for the prohibition on eating things that "belong" to other species, even if the eating doesn't harm them? Does it come from Reason? From God? From Conscience? Or is it some kind of quasi-religious new age belief promoted by certain gurus? Or just a rather vague philosophy with no rational basis?
Please don't see this as full frontal attack on Vegans, but I'd just like to understand whether there is a well thought out basis for these beliefs.
